


We could have lost you

by who_seeks_shall_find



Series: Life as I see it [42]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Attacks, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Hurt, Love, Self-Defense, Threats of Violence, Violence, post-season 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-08 10:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15241743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/who_seeks_shall_find/pseuds/who_seeks_shall_find
Summary: William makes an irresponsible choice which scares Felicity and Oliver. Everything is uncovered - including William's self-defense training with Roy.





	We could have lost you

**Author's Note:**

> This is a part of a series about Oliver's imprisonment and a year after it. This drabble takes place after 270 days of Oliver's release from prison.
> 
> The series will be updated once a day (if it's just possible). It's going to include 122 drabbles about Oliver, Felicity, William and other characters who are involved in their lives. It's going to take approximately four months to finish the series. The drabbles are linked to each other but they're NOT in a CHRONOLOGICAL order. That's why, there may also be gaps or blanks which are filled in later.
> 
> I wish that every character is respected without unnecessary hatred.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

William was laying down on his bed and he stared at the ceiling. It was already past midnight but he couldn’t sleep. The nightmares had been too rough tonight. He had tried to fall asleep again but it seemed impossible. Luckily, he wasn’t having that many nightmares anymore. Yet, when he had them, they really affected him. 

William shook his head and he tried to think of something else because he didn’t want to replay the dream in his mind. After a while, he started thinking about his family or their family business to be more specific. His dad had been the Green Arrow over a decade and Felicity had worked with him as the Overwatch almost as long. His parents were close friends with the Spartan, the Arsenal, the Black Canary, the Wild Dog and the Mr. Terrific. William had also met the Flash, the White Canary and the Atom. 

William couldn't help but think that he was supposed to be the next on the line although his dad had dismissed William’s requests. His dad didn’t want to teach him even simple self-defense moves. William didn’t know why his dad was so reluctant. Of course, they had talked about choices and physical strength. They had talked about fights and how violence should never be his first instinct.

William remembered that he had teased his dad about that comment because it had sounded a little hypocritical. When he had first come to live with his dad, Oliver had told him to hit a bully in the nose. William still remembered vividly how his dad had told him to go for the nose. 

Yet, nothing explained why his dad didn’t want to teach him. He was always dodge the topic when William asked him about it. He usually said that he hadn’t been back from the prison for long enough but William knew it was just an excuse. His dad had been back for nine months now and he had almost immediately put the hood back on. Why couldn’t he share that part of his life with his own son? 

William had asked Felicity and she had told him that Oliver was scared of the change. According to her, his dad wanted William to be a kid as long as possible. William had rolled his eyes at that. He knew he wasn’t an adult but he was more mature than most of his peers. Everyone always said that he seemed fifteen or sixteen years old.

He had gone through a lot although he was still young. He was aware of it and he didn’t want to waste his opportunity to do some good. His ordeals and sorrow had made him stronger. He wanted to honor his mom who had passed away and he had to protect his family. Why couldn’t his dad listen to him? William let out an annoyed huff.

Luckily, his dad wasn’t the only one who knew some moves. William would never have dared to ask Mr. Diggle for help behind Oliver's back but uncle Roy was a different story. Uncle Roy saw self-defense as an obligatory milestone. Roy had once told him that growing up in Glades hadn’t been easy. Therefore, he didn’t mind showing William some basic moves. 

They had had training sessions for a few months now. Roy was happy with William’s progress although Roy seemingly struggled with not telling the truth to Oliver. William preferred not to tell his dad but sometimes it was hard to cover the bruises. Their sparring had become more and more aggressive. It wasn’t easy to trick his dad but he didn’t seem to notice the truce. 

Felicity was a different story. William wasn’t sure if she knew about his self-defense classes. The friendship between her and Roy was different from the friendship between his dad and Roy. Obviously, Roy and Felicity talked more and they shared things more openly. 

However, William couldn’t believe that Felicity would hide this from his dad. William was fully aware that he was their kid and they both were his equal parents. They wouldn’t keep anything from each other if it was about him. William could never play the stepmom card but he didn’t even want to. He respected her more than anyone. He genuinely loved her so he would never try to manipulate her feelings.

William was still staring the ceiling. He followed a small beam of light which came from the corridor. His parents were still out. They were trying to track down a murderer who had caused terror in Star City. He or she just seemed to enjoy killing and it was all about the attention. The murderer was leaving notes and the message was clear – no one would be able to find him/her. Not even the Green Arrow. It was like a sick game. 

Then William sat up and threw his leg over the edge of the bed. He couldn’t sleep tonight and he needed to find a way to compartmentalized everything. His nightmares and the vigilante thoughts bothered him and and he needed a way to let it all out.

William rose to his feet and took his sweatpants and hoodie from the back of his chair. He put them on quickly and headed towards the kitchen. He needed a class of water before heading out. William wasn’t sure if he had made a conscious decision to go out but suddenly he needed to feel night air on his face. William left the kitchen and he almost ran to the front door. He wasn’t going to play a hero or do anything stupid. He wasn’t looking for troubles because he knew that his dad would be livid. 

William hesitated for a moment but soon he threw the front door open and stepped out. He had never gone out at night time without his parents’ permission and it felt like he was doing something wrong. Then he took a deep breath and walked outside. He would just go around the block and return. They wouldn’t even know that he was gone. William just wanted to clear his head so he kept walking. He put his hands into his pockets. He also pulled the hood of the hoodie up. 

It was surprisingly quiet and calm. He understood why he dad still liked to work at nights although it wasn’t necessary anymore. Nowadays, their secret identities were not-so-secret ones. Nevertheless, his dad must have found working at nighttime calming and familiar although he never talked about it. Besides, his dad worked as a mayor again so he didn’t have too much time at daytime. 

William walked along the sidewalk which led to the park where he liked to run with uncle Roy. Roy had told him that he needed to be fit if he wanted to be trained by the Arsenal. His uncle Roy was a little pompous from time to time. William had rolled his eyes at Roy's antics but he agreed without complaints. He had really wanted to learn. 

William opened one of the gates which lead to the park and it creaked a little. He didn’t see anyone or he heard nothing. He let out a relieved sigh because he actually wanted to avoid troubles. Uncle Roy could stop teaching him as quickly as a snap of his fingers if he found out that William had engaged a fight. It kind of annoyed William because he was sure that he could take care of himself. Why everyone wanted to shield and protect him? He wasn’t the same sweet little boy who he had been when he had first arrived Star City.

William walked around the park for a while but soon he decided that it was time to go back home. He turned around and saw a young woman who was holding her yellow coat tightly around her body. She seemed to be fine and William kept going. The night air was getting colder and William started walk faster. He needed to be at home before his parents. He was almost at the gate but then he heard a scream.

On the other side of the park were two figures and they looked like they were wrestling. At first, William didn’t understand what he was looking at. Then the alarm bells started ringing in his head. He recognized the young woman who had walked past him earlier. Her yellow coat was easy to notice although it was dark.

William started to run towards them while he shouted: “Let her go.”

Both turned their attention to William and he noticed that the other one was a man in his mid-thirties. When William realized what had been going on, he felt physically sick. The man hadn’t let the woman go and William ran closer to them. Now William just saw red. That woman could have been someone close to him although it didn’t actually matter. Everyone should have been respected as a human being.

“I said let her go,” William growled again.

“Or what?” the man said and grinned mischievously while the woman whimpered. 

A smug expression on the man’s face made William even more furious. The man wanted to use his physical strength to prove his point and dominate the poor woman. William turned his eyes to the woman who was approximately twenty years old. Her eyes were widened because the shock and the man ripped her coat so one of the seams was coming apart. He was still having a hold on her arm and he pulled her hair. 

William took a step forward and grabbed a grip on the man’s wrist. The man looked at him surprised. It was like he hadn’t been prepared for William to defend the woman physically. The man pushed the woman away so he could concentrate on beating William’s ass. William knew that now he was in a real trouble.

William shouted to the woman who had fallen on her knees: “Run. Go away.”

At the same time, the man grabbed William from the collar of his hoodie. He was forced to look at the scumbag but he saw from the corner of his eye that the woman hadn’t move. The sorry excuse for a man threw his first punch before William could react. When the punch landed on his stomach, he stumbled a few steps backwards.

“Not so brave now, huh?” the man mocked him.

William took a step forward and hit the man straight in the nose. His uncle Roy had taught him that hitting in the nose was always an effective option. The man held his nose and William could see blood pouring down from his nostrils. William wasn’t sure if he had broken the man’s nose but his stunt had made the scumbag really angry.

The man kicked William from his feet and William hit the back of his head to the hard ground. The woman was still there and William could hear how she let out a small whimper. He wanted to tell her to run away but his whole world was spinning. Then another kick landed on William’s stomach. William doubled over and the woman came next to him begging the man to stop. Everything felt surreal for William. 

Why couldn’t the world stop spinning? William was disoriented but he heard how the sound of sirens was coming closer. He hadn’t heard that the woman had called for the police. The scumbag was about to attack again but he had also heard the sirens so he decided otherwise. He ran away as fast as he could and William couldn’t follow him. William was still laying down on the ground and the woman was hovering over him.

“Are you ok? Can you sit up?” the woman inquired worriedly. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks,” William replied while he sat up. He winced because of the pain.

“Shouldn’t I be the one to thank you?” the young woman asked, giving an apologetic smile. 

Then she continued: “Thank you.”

William nodded and questioned: “Are you okay? That must have been scary?”

The woman took a shaky breath and waved her hand dismissively before answering: “I’m going to be fine. Thanks to you. You’re officially my hero.”

William blushed a little so he was grateful for the darkness. He sat a while longer because he couldn’t trust his legs. The woman was still knelt next to him. William dropped his head onto his hands. He was never going to get another lesson from Roy. He had really screwed up although he couldn’t have just ignored the situation. His dad and Felicity would kill him before he could even explain himself. 

Suddenly, William realized that police officers hadn’t arrived yet. He wasn’t even hearing the sirens anymore. He was confused and he lifted his head from his hands and looked up. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the park. There were no police cars or officers. 

“Where is the police? Didn’t you call 911?” William asked.

The woman shook her head and stated: “No, I didn’t call the police. I was too shocked and occupied to do nothing at all.”

“I guess we were extremely lucky. We heard the sirens although they weren’t coming for us,” William said when he realized what had happened.

The woman just nodded and William decided that it was time to get up. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the sharp pain. He already knew he was going to have a large bruise on his side where the man had kicked him. He just hoped no ribs were broken. His head was still spinning but luckily there was no nausea. At least that was something. William was grateful to uncle Roy for teaching him how to evaluate his own injuries without panicking. 

William rose to his feet and the woman wasn’t sure if she should have helped him. William waved his hand dismissively. He would manage and he really had to go back to home. Maybe he could sneak into his bed without his parents noticing.

“Are you sure you're okay? Will you get home without help? Or do you want to go to hospital?” the young woman asked and her concern was obvious.

William gave her a reassuring smile before answering: “I’m going to be fine but I really need leave. Are you going to be okay?”

The woman nodded and they waved their hands for goodbyes. William was glad that the woman hadn’t recognized him or at least she didn’t talk about it. It had been quite a shock for them both so it was natural that the observations weren’t as sharp as normally. William walked quickly away from the park and down the road towards his home. 

When he was in front of their apartment building, William felt hopeful. The lights were so maybe his dad and Felicity were still out or they were already sleeping. Was it possible that they hadn’t checked his room before going to bed? William really hoped so. 

William took the keys out of his pocket and went to the front door. He unlocked it quietly and stepped inside. There was a complete silence in the apartment so William thought his parents hadn’t arrived yet. It was good because he needed an ice pack and he was actually hungry. He could just grab a late-night snack and an ice pack so he tiptoed to the kitchen.

He dropped his keys on the kitchen counter and walked straight to the fridge. William stuck his head to the fridge looking for left-overs from the dinner. No one was going to miss those left-overs because they were going to cook a dinner for their family friends in the tomorrow evening. His dad made the best lasagna in the world and William could eat it forever. He wouldn’t mind if they ate it every night. 

William was about to take the casserole out of the fridge but a throat clearing voice startled him. William hit his bumpy head to a fridge shelve when he tried to turn towards the source of the voice. William rubbed the back of his head and saw his dad standing next to the counter. Oliver had crossed his arms across his chest and he was wearing a stoic face. The next discussion wasn’t going to be fun.

“Where have you been, young man?” Oliver asked in a strict voice.

William turned his gaze to his shoes and shifted uncomfortably. He was trying to think of the best way to avoid telling his dad what had happened. He needed a plan. William cursed himself that he hadn’t thought of it before. 

William returned his eyes to Oliver’s and his dad raised an eyebrow. William was about to open his mouth but Felicity saved him. She stormed to the kitchen with a tablet on her hands. William supposed that she had tried to track him down with the tablet. She crashed her body against William’s and wrapped her arms around William’s mid-body. 

She cried out: “We were so worried when you weren’t in your room. Where have you been? Don’t you dare to do that ever again?”

She squeezed him a little harder and William winced because his ribs really hurt. The sound of distress didn’t go unnoticed. Felicity let go of him and stared at him intensely. William couldn’t look at her because he was too ashamed. It was hard to deal with the fact that he had let his parents down. 

“William. Where have you been?” Oliver asked again stressing his words separately.

“Out,” William whispered while staring at his shoes.

Felicity rolled her eyes and said: “Obviously. But where and why?”

William shrugged and Oliver said in a stern voice: “Take off your hoodie, William.”

William’s eyes snapped back at his father’s and he pleaded: “Dad.”

“Don’t dad me. I saw how you winced,” Oliver said in a harsh tone.

Felicity shifted her gaze between the son and the father and William let out a deep sigh. He lifted the hem of his hoodie and showed his side. Felicity pressed her hand on her mouth so she wouldn’t start sobbing. Oliver breathed heavily through his nostrils and his jaw clenched. William knew that there wasn’t a bruise yet but it was obvious that there was going to be one in the morning.

Felicity was next to him after she had recovered from her shock. Her fingers gently touched William’s side and she whispered: “What happened? Are there more injuries?”

William shook his head and Felicity used her loud voice: “Don’t you dare lie to us.”

William’s shoulders dropped and he understood that he had to tell the truth. He started: “I had a nightmare and I couldn’t sleep. There were too many thoughts in my head and I decided to go out. I needed some air. I went to this park.”

His parents nodded for encouragement and William continued: “I was about to leave the park but then I saw how a man attacked a young woman. I couldn’t just let it happen so I went to help her. I was sure that I could handle the scumbag but he was tougher than I thought. I hit my head to the ground when I fell and he kicked me on my side. The man took off when he heard the sound of sirens although the police wasn’t coming for us.”

Felicity and his dad looked at each other with worried expressions and William finished his story: “She was a little shaken but okay. I’m also fine.”

“That was heroic but irresponsible. Luckily, your ribs aren’t broken,” Felicity stated after a while and William exhaled deeply. 

“I’m raised by heroes so I couldn’t just leave her alone. What was I supposed to do? Almost every adult, who I know, is a superhero,” William defended himself.

“You could have called me or your dad. You could have informed the police. You shouldn’t have engaged the situation physically,” Felicity answered immediately and she looked at William over her glasses.

His dad hadn’t said anything but now he opened his mouth: “You said you were sure that you could handle the scumbag. Why is that?”

William blushed. Of course, his dad would notice. William didn’t want to tell about uncle Roy's part because his parents were going to be livid. They were going to be so angry with him but also with Roy. His dad was going to make Roy stop training William.

“The truth, please,” Oliver said behind his gritted teeth. 

William sighed and answered reluctantly: “I have kind of trained with uncle Roy.”

Oliver exhaled sharply and it sounded more like whistling. Felicity whispered cautiously: “Oliver.”

His dad looked at Felicity and she shook her head slightly. After a while his dad nodded and let out a deep sigh. It was weird how Felicity and his dad could communicate silently and still understand each other perfectly well.

Oliver growled under his breath: “Take an ice pack and go to take a shower. We’re going to talk about this in the morning. You’re punished for worrying us with your irresponsible behavior and we’re going to tell you your punishment before others arrive for the dinner.”

William nodded and started heading away from the kitchen. Then he turned slightly and said apologetically: “I’m sorry to disappoint you both.”

“We’re not disappointed at you like you think but we’re not going to say we’re proud of you, either. You were irresponsible and we don’t want to this become a habit. We'll talk more about this,” Felicity said in her soft, motherly voice which was only meant for William. 

William smiled at her and nodded. The he said: “Good night, Felicity. Good night, dad.”

“Good night, buddy,” Oliver replied in a softer tone.

Felicity added: “Sleep well, my sweet boy.”

**Author's Note:**

> Update for tomorrow:  
> Felicity and Oliver aren't sure how to react after William's irresponsible choice. There isn't exactly a guide book for the situation.


End file.
